Launch Roundup: SpaceX pushes for 100 flights in the year with a ISS resupply, a rideshare mission, and more

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SpaceX is actively working to reach its goal of 100 launches by the end of this year with four launches carrying many different types of payloads coming this week. Additionally, China will continue to upgrade its satellites in orbit with the 150th launch of its Chang Zheng 3B/E rocket.

A Starlink mission starts out the week on Tuesday, launching from SLC-40 with its new crew tower at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). Then China will launch its 150th Chang Zheng 3B/E at Xichang Satellite Launch Center putting another communications satellite in orbit.

Three more Falcon 9 launches end this week, with the first of those being the Transporter 9 rideshare mission launching from pad SLC-4E out of Vandenburg Spaceforce Base (VSFB). Next, SpaceX will resupply the International Space Station with the 29th launch of its Commercial Resupply Mission (CRS) NASA contract. This will launch from historic pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). For the final launch this week, SpaceX will launch two O3b mPOWER 5 & 6 for SES out of SLC-40 at CCSFS.

Falcon 9 – Starlink Group 6-27

The first launch of the week is by SpaceX, who will launch another 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit (LEO). This flight is expected to launch on Nov. 7 at 11:01 PM EST (Nov. 8 at 04:01 UTC) out of SLC-40 at CCSFS in Florida.

Falcon 9 booster B1073-11 is planned to launch the 52nd Starlink mission of this year. The booster has previously supported SES-22, HAKUTO-R Mission 1, Dispasat Amazonas Nexus, CRS-27, and six Starlink missions. The upper stage will then take these 23 satellites to a 284 by 293-kilometer LEO while the booster returns to the droneship Just Read The Instructions, which will be 630 kilometers downrange for the landing of this booster.

Starlink v2-mini satellites are inside the fairing for this launch. They are the second generation of Starlink satellites made for high-speed internet access all over the world due to their placement in LEO. The release of the satellites will be at 230 kilometers where they will increase their altitude to their final operational orbit of 530 kilometers.

Chang Zheng 3B/E – Zhongxing-6E

The only rocket launching this week that is not a Falcon 9 will be the Chang Zheng 3B/E from LC-2 at Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China. This will be Chang Zheng 3B/E’s fifth launch of this year. It is planned to launch on Nov. 9 at 11:30 UTC for its 150th mission of all time.

The payload inside the 4.2-meter-diameter fairing is believed to be a Zhongxing-6E satellite. This satellite is a communications satellite put into a geosynchronous orbit above China and is meant to be the successor to the Zhongxing-6B. Zhongxing-6B was used for TV transmissions and shortwave radio jamming, so Zhongxing-6E will likely be used for the same reasons, but with updated technology.

Falcon 9 – Transporter 9

SpaceX continues the run of Falcon 9 launches this week with its ninth rideshare mission. Transporter 9 is anticipated to launch on Nov. 9 at 10:47 PM PST (06:47 UTC on Nov. 10) launching from pad SLC-4E at VSFB in California.

While the booster is still unknown, it is known that there will be a return-to-launch site landing, coming back to Landing Zone 4. Transporter 9 will take the multitude of satellites to a sun-synchronous orbit, deploying many along the way to get them into their specified orbit. Since this mission is a return-to-launch site landing, there will not be a drone ship involved in the recovery of the booster. However, both fairings will be recovered downrange by GO Beyond.

This is SpaceX’s ninth dedicated rideshare mission. These missions help many small satellites get to orbit starting at the relatively low price of $275,000 US for a satellite with a mass of up to 50 kilograms. There are many different configurations rideshare buyers can purchase, with options up to 300 kilograms. SpaceX has these transporter missions approximately every four months, allowing many smaller satellite companies or class projects with enough funding access to space.

Falcon 9 – CRS SpX-29

Keeping the ISS supplied, SpaceX is sending its third Falcon 9 this week to LEO. Using a Cargo Dragon capsule, SpaceX plans to continue its CRS missions contracted by NASA. This launch is taking place on Nov. 9 out of historic pad, LC-39A at KSC in Florida at 8:28 PM EST (Nov. 10 at 1:28 UTC).

This mission is SpaceX’s 29th CRS mission to the ISS and ninth under CRS phase two. An unknown booster will put the supplies onto a 51.66-degree inclined orbit, the same orbit as the ISS. Then the second stage and Cargo Dragon will take them the rest of the way to docking. The booster will plan to land back at Landing Zone 1 at KSC and will not require a drone ship.

This will be Cargo Dragon C211’s second flight. It has taken SpaceX 348 days to refurbish and relaunch this capsule following its launch in late November of last year. It will dock onto the ISS’s Harmony port after just over 29 hours in space. This will be Falcon 9’s 78th mission this year and its 273rd mission to date.

Falcon 9 – O3b mPOWER 5 & 6

This week’s fourth and final Falcon 9 launch is planned to take two O3b mPOWER satellites to an equatorial MEO transfer orbit for the satellite telecommunications network provider SES. SpaceX announced that the launch is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 12 at 4:08 PM EST (21:08 UTC) and will launch out of pad SLC-40 at CCSFS in Florida. This will be the second launch from this pad this week.

These are the fifth and sixth satellites that Boeing built for SES. This will also be the fourth time they have trusted Falcon 9 to get their satellites into orbit. The launch will add to their list of over 70 active communications satellites.

There should only be two more launches until the constellation of O3b mPOWER is complete and if everything goes to plan, it will likely be activated in the second quarter of 2024. When it is online, it will give internet access to many different hard-to-reach areas. This includes cruise ships and commercial ships as well as offshore energy like oil and gas mining. It is also there to protect military units, and in some specific cases, the average person by creating an always active signal.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launching Starlink 6-26 from SLC-40 at CCSFS. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)

The post Launch Roundup: SpaceX pushes for 100 flights in the year with a ISS resupply, a rideshare mission, and more appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.



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